Sole fitting machine and method of sole fitting



June 5, 1934. W. H. HEGGS ET AL SOLE FITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF SOLE FITTING Filed Jan. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l WVE/V Tal -1 June 5, 1934. w, HEGGS ET AL 1,961,355

SOLE FITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF SOLE FITTING Filed Jan. 8, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

sole margins.

Patented June 5, 1934 SOLE FITTING MACHINE AND METHOD OF SOLE FITTING William Henry Heggs and John William Pratt, Leicester, England, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey 7 Application January 8,

1932, Serial No. 585,534

In Great Britain January 22, 1931 14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sole fitting machines and to improved methods of sole fitting. The invention is herein disclosed, by way of illustration, with particular reference to the performance of edge thickness reducing or feathering operations upon the margins of previously channeled unattached soles for McKaysewed shoes or shoes in which the outsole is secured by through-and-through stitching directly to the upper and to the formation of a stitchreceiving groove within the channel of each sole. The illustrated machine is particularly designed for operation upon soles having previously formed two-type channels which are of the American type (i. e., cut inwardly from the sole edge) in the shank portion and of the English type (i. e., out inwardly from the face of the sole) around the forepart, to perform reducing and grooving operations upon the shank portions only of the The invention is not necessarily limited, however, in its application to soles having two-type channels, neither is the invention exclusively concerned with methods of or means for operating upon unattached soles or upon the j shank portions only of soles.

It is common practice in fitting outsoles for use in certain kinds of McKay-sewed shoes, to form in each sole acontinuous channel, which is of the English type around the forepart of the sole and of the American type along each lateral margin of the shank portion of the sole. The characteristic features of two-type channels of this sort and the particular advantages thereof are fully explained in a copending application, Serial No. 362,964, filed May 14, 1929, in the name of Arthur Bates, which application also discloses a machine adapted to perform that type of channeling upon a sole and in addition to skive or bevel the lateral margins of the shank in order to reduce, along those margins, the edge thickness of the channel base, i. e., the marginal portion of the sole which lies between the channeling cut and the flesh or unchanneled side of the sole. It is sometimes desirable, however, to reduce the edge thickness of the channel base by beveling the opposite side thereof, 1. e., the side which is adjacent to the channel flap and also, in cases where an American-type channel is formed in the shank portion of the sole, to form a groove in the channel base near the root of the channel flap to receive the outsole fastening stitches and thus to insure that the channel flap, after it has been laid in place to cover the stitches, will.

present a smooth appearance having no noticeable ridgeand no roughness along the line of the stitches. A single machine provided with means for performing two-type channeling and grooving operations upon a sole and also for beveling the sole edge at the upper side of the channel base would necessarily be more or less complicated in construction and it would be more or less difiicult to maintain the parts of such a machine in adjustment and in proper operating condition because of the unusually small space in which the several knives would have to be assembled. On the other hand, the performance of those several operations separately is expensive because of the time necessarily employed therefor.

In view of the foregoing one object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for operating upon soles having previously formed two-type channels to effect shank reducing and grooving operations thereon in a thorough, reliable and efiicient manner.

To the accomplishment of this object one feature of the present invention resides in a solefitting machine having means for reducing the edge thickness of the channel base of a previously channeled sole at the side where the channel is formed, and means for forming a stitch-receiving groove in the channel base. The machine herein illustrated is provided with a beveling knife constructed and arranged to bevel the surface of the channel base which is adjacent to the channel flap of a previously channeled sole, a tool for cutting a groove in that surface of the channel base near the root of the channel flap, and a gage adapted to guide the sole as the sole is fed to the beveling and grooving tools and also to raise the channel flap to such an extent as to simplify or even to render unnecessary the performance of a separate and subsequent channel flap turning operation. In the illustrated machine the work is fed to the knives by the cooperative action of an unyieldingly mounted lower feed wheel and an upper feed wheel carried by a head which is pivotally mounted so that the upper feed wheel is free to rise and fall to accommodate variations in the thickness of the work. and the beveling knife is yieldingly mounted in the pivoted head in such a manner that it is unaffected by any small movements of the upper feed wheel and thus will remain normally at a constant distance from the lower feed wheel to reduce the sole edge to a constant thickness despite variations in the thickness of the body of the sole.. ihe illustrated construction is further such, however, that the beveling knife will partake of any large. movements of the pivoted head so that it can be swung back-wardlyno with the head to facilitate adjustment or removal of the knife.

According to the present invention as herein exemplified in its method aspect, an outsole is first channeled in a two-type channeling machine which may be of the type disclosed in the application above referred to, except that no means is provided for performing sole edge reducing operations, the machine being adapted to cut in one continuing operation a channel of the American type along the shank portion of a sole and a channel of the English type around the forepart of the sole. Thereafter, for example by the use of a machine such as that hereinafter described, shank reducing and grooving operations are performed simultaneously upon the channel base of the sole. Thus two-type channeling, sole edge reducing and grooving may be performed upon a sole in two steps or operations, without requiring undesirably complicated machinery for the performance'of the same.

The invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a view partially in elevation and partially in dotted outline'of the left-hand side of a machine embodying certain features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation and on an enlarged scale of the operating instrumentalities of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a. front elevational view of the instrumentalities shown in Fig; 2, certain portions thereof being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the shank reducing knife, the view being taken substantially along the line IV--IV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional view of a channeled sole showing the sole as it appears prior to the shank reducing operation, the section being taken through the shank portion of the sole; and

Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fig. 5, but showing the sole as it appears after a shank reducing and grooving operation has been performed thereon.

The illustrated shank reducing and grooving machine is adapted to perform those operations upon an outsole which has previously been channeled in such a manner as to provide a continuous 7 marginal channel which is of the American type in the shank portion and of the English type around the forepart of the sole. A two-type channeling operation of this character may be performed in a so-called double channeling machine, such as that disclosed, for example, in 00- pending application, Serial No. 362,964, hereinbefore referred to.

The general construction of the illustrated shank reducing and grooving machine is in many respects similar to that of machines well known in the art as McKay channeling machines and, in common with such machines, the illustrated machine is provided with driven upper and lower feed wheels 8 and 10, respectively, the upper feed .wheel 8 being mounted in a head 12 which is pivoted at 14 to the lower fixed portion 18 of the machine'frame so that the upper feed wheel can move toward and from the lower feed wheel to accommodate variations in the thickness of the work being operated upon.

The illustrated machine is provided with a knife 18 (Figs. 3 and 4) which differs from that usually employed in a channeling machine inasmuch as it is adapted to perform an edge thickness reduc- .ing operation upon a sole. The illustrated knife 18 is especially designed to operate upon a sole, such as the sole A shown in Fig. 5, which has already been previously channeled along its shank portion, as indicated at B, so as to form a channel flap C at the grain or tread side D of the sole and a marginal portion or channel base E which is located between the channel B and the flesh side F of the sole. Moreover, the illustrated knife is adapted to perform its shank reducing operation by removing material from the portion of the channel base which is adjacent to the channel flap, the operation resulting in the formation of a beveled surface such as the surface indicated at G in Fig. 6. In addition to beveling the channel base of the sole the illustrated machine is adapted also to form a stitchreceiving groove H (Fig. 6) in the channel base in a location adjacent to the root of the channel flap. As shown, the knife 18 is mounted upon the pivoted head 12 so that by swinging the head upwardly and backwardly about its pivot 14 the knife may be made accessible for convenient adjustment or removal.

It is usually considered desirable that despite any variation in the initial thickness of a sole the effect of ashank reducing operation shall be able to reduce the sole edge to a uniform thickness. In order to accomplish this result the knife 18 is so mounted upon the head 12 that the distance between the knife and the lower feed wheel 10, and consequently the relation between the knife and the lower or flesh side of the sole, shall remain constant throughout the operation of the knife upon the sole. The knife 18 is rigidly secured to a block 20 having an upwardly extending stem 22 which is mounted in a vertical slideway 24 in the head 12, and a spring 26 is arranged to hold the knife block 20 yieldingly in engagement with a fixed but adjustable stop in the form of a hand screw 28 carried by the base 16 of the machine. The shank reducing knife 18 is thus carried by the pivoted head 12 in such a manner that while it partakes of any substantial movement of the head (as when the head is swung upwardly to facilitate adjustment or removal of the knife) it is unaffected by any slight movements of the head 12 and upper feed wheel 8, such as take place during normal operation of the machine, and thus the knife normally remains at a fixed distance from the lower feed wheel and the reduction of the sole edge to a uniform thickness is thus insured.

As best shown in Fig. 4, the cutting edge of the knife 18 is inclined to produce the desired beveled surface upon the channel base of the sole and the shank portion 30 of the knife is of a general shape similar to that customarily employed in channeling knives. As shown, the shank portion 30 of the knife 18 is provided with two slots 32 and the knife is adapted to be rigidly secured to the knife block 20 by means of two screws 34 which extend through the slots 32, the arrangement being such that upon loosening the screws 34 the knife may be adjusted relatively to the knife block to change the angle of the cutting edge of the knife. The stem 22 of the knife block 20 is retained in the slideway 24 by means of a cover plate 36 (Figs. 1 and 2) which is attached to the head 12 by screws 38. The spring 26 surrounds a screw 40 the lower end of which is threaded into a hole 42 in the upper portion of the knife block stem 22 and which extends freely through a bore in a bracket 44 carried by the head 12. The spring 26 is arranged to bear at its upper end against the bracket 44 and at its lower end against a collar461 fixed to' the: screw 40. Thus the arrangement is such that the spring-26 :presses the collar-46, the stem 22, and the .knifeblock 20 downwardlyagainst the stop screw 28. Ahead 50 on the screw '40 isarranged to limit :the downward movementsof the knife 'b10'cki 20 :and the knife 18 by engagement-with the .bracket 44. The stop screw 28 whichis provided' with a knurled head 52 is threaded through .a hole in a lug -54 rigidly secured .by screws 56 to the fixed frame 160i the=machine. .TBytturningthe screw 28 the knife 18 may be raised or lowered with respect to the lower feed wheel 10, the'spring 26 serving :to maintain the knifexblock 20 in yielding engagement withthetop of the screw. Thus, during the operation :of the machine the knife 18 will remain 'a fixed distance .above the lower feed wheel 10 despite any smallivertical 'movements of the upper feed wheel due to small variations :in the thickness .of the work, since when the machine is properlyadjusted there will be suflicient clearance between the head-5O of the screw 40 and the top surface of the bracket 44 to allow the bracket to moveup and :down with the pivotedhead 12 in response to variations in work thickness but without coming in contact with the screw head 50. 'When,however, for. purposes-of adjustment of the'knife 18, it is desired to swing the pivoted head 12 .backwardly, the screw head 50 contacts with the bracket 4'4 and the knife 18 is therefore carried-upwardly'with the head 12.

For the purpose of forming the stitch-receiving groove H (Fig. 6) the illustrated machine is providedwitha grooving tool60 '(Figs42, 3 and-4) which when operatively positioned is located just to the left of 'the reducing. knife 18, as shown in Fig. 3, and which projects just below the edge of the knife 18, as shown in Fig. 4, so that normally both the reducing knife 18 and the grooving tool 60 operate simultaneously upon the work. The grooving tool 60, however, is adapted to be raised out of operative position at the beginning and end of an operation to avoid the cutting of the groove up to the edge of the sole.

1 stantially at right angles from a plate 62 (Fig. 2)

which is clamped by means of a screw 64 in a recess in a block 66. The block 66 is secured to the lower end of a slide 68 mounted in a vertical slideway 70 in the pivoted head 12 and retained in the slideway '70 by means of a cover plate 72 secured to the head by screws '74. A circular bore 76 is formed in the upper portion of the slide 68 into which extends a short cylindrical pin 78 which is of smaller diameter than the bore '76. A vertical rod 80 is screw-threaded into a hole in the pin 78 and extends upwardly through a suitable hole in the slide 50 and is rigidly secured at its upper end to a portion 82 of the head 12. Surrounding the rod 80 between the slide 68 and the portion 82 of the head 12 is a stiif spring 84. Projecting horizontally through a slot 86 in the cover plate '72 is a stud 88 on which is mounted an upwardly extending arm 90 (Fig. 3) having an eye 92 formed therein for receiving the forward end of a lever 94 which is fulcruined at 96 (Fig. 2) to the left-hand side of the head 12, the lever 94 being connected at its rear end with a treadle rod 98 which in turn is connected to a treadle (not shown).

The mounting of the grooving tool 60 as above described is such that the tool is normally held pressed downwardly by the spring 84 and thereby held 'yieldingly ingroovingpo'sition,butwhen the treadleisxdepressedthe. tool 60 is raisedout ofoperativemosition. The extent of movement'of the tool 60 .is determined by the difference .in diameterbetween the pin 78and the bore 76. It is particularly.advantageousto' raise the grooving tool 60 outof position at the-beginning and at the end ofan operation of theinachine. .The groove is formed by the tool 69 in the channel base E .parallelato the sole" edgeinear the root of the channel flap C. If the tool were fixedin grooving position itzmightbe found difficult in presenting work to the machine andin removing'work from the machine to "prevent the grooving tool from cutting the groove right up to the edge of the sole. This undesirable eifect, howevelgimay be easily avoided byiraising the grooving tool out of operative positionat the' beginning and at the end of an operation.

J The illustrated machine is provided with gaging means for adapting itto operate upon work which has previously been channeled. As illustrated, this gaging means comprises a-member 108 (Fig.

3) formedwitha lip 102 adapted toenter a previously-formed channel. The gage member is secured by screws 103 to the head 12 and is located close to .andat theright of the reducing knife 18 so that it will engage the work. at a point just ahead of the knife. In operation, as a sole is fed past theknife 18 the lip 102 of the gage member 100 tracks around in the channel of the sole and serves to position the .work. Moreover, the shape of the lip 102 is such that it operates to turn up the channel flap to such an extent as to facilitate the performance of the shank reducing and grooving operation as well as to simplify or even to render unnecessary a separate and subsequent channel flap turning operation.

The invention having been described, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating upon soles, means for reducing the edge thickness of the channel base of a previously channeled sole at the side where the channel is formed, and means for forming a stitch-receiving groove in the channel base.

2. In a sole fitting machine, means for forming a stitch-receiving groove in the channel base of a channeled sole, and means for beveling the channel base on the side adjacent to the channel.

3. In a machine for operating upon soles, means for reducing the edge thickness of the channel base or" a previously channeled sole on the side where the channel is formed, and means for simultaneously grooving the channel base.

4. In a machine for operating upon a previously channeled sole having a channel flap and a channel base, means for removing material from the side of the channel base adjacent to the channel flap to reduce the edge thickness of the channel base, and means for simultaneously forming a groove in the channel base.

5. In a machine for operating upon a sole having a previously formed channel and a channel flap, means for guiding the sole by engagement within the channel, means for reducing the edge thickness of the sole, and means for forming a stitch-receiving groove in the portion of the sole beneath the channel flap.

6. In a machine for operating upon a previously channeled sole having a channel flap and a channel base, means for raising the channel flap, means for grooving the channel base, and means pal ior reducing the edge thickness of the channel base at the side adjacent to the channel flap.

7. In a machine for operating upon a previously channeled sole having a channel fiap and a channel base, a gage adapted to enter the channel to guide the sole by engagement along the root of the channel flap, said gage being shaped to raise the channel flap, and means for simultaneously grooving and reducing the edge thickness of the channel base.

8. In a sole fitting machine, means for reducing the edge thickness of a previously channeled sole, and means for forming a stitch-receiving groove within the channel, said groove-forming means being movable at will to and from operative position.

9. A sole fitting machine comprising a frame, an unyielding work support, a head pivoted to the frame for upward and downward movement, a sole fitting knife mounted for vertical yielding movement in the head, and a stop carried by the frame for limiting downward movement of the knife.

10. A sole fitting machine comprising a frame, a fixed stop on the frame, an unyielding work support, a head mounted on the frame for movement toward and from the work support, a slide movable in said head toward and from the work support, a knife carried by the slide, a spring tending to move said slide relatively to said head to hold the slide against said stop, and means for limiting the extent of said movement of said slide.

11. A sole fitting machine comprising a frame, a lower feed wheel supported by said frame, a head pivoted to the frame for upward and downward movement, an upper feed wheel carried by said head and movable therewith to accommodate variations in work thickness, a slide movable in said head toward and from the lower feed wheel, a knife carried by the slide, a fixed stop on the frame, a spring arranged to hold the knife slide against said stop regardless of relatively small movements of the head, and means for limiting the extent of movement of the slide relatively to the head to cause the slide to partake of relatively large movements of the head.

12. That improvement in methods of operating upon soles which consists in channeling a sole,

thereby forming a channel fiap and a channel base, and thereafter reducing the edge thickness of the channel base at the side adjacent to the channel flap and simultaneously forming a stitchreceiving groove in the channel base.

13. That improvement in methods of operating upon soles which consists in channeling a sole, thereby forming a channel flap and a channel base, and thereafter removing material from the side of the channel base adjacent to the channel flap to reduce the edge thickness of the sole and simultaneously forming a groove in the channel base.

14. That improvement in methods of operating upon soles which consists in forming in a sole a continuous channel which is of one type in the shank portion and of another type around the forepart thereby forming a continuous channel flap and a continuous channel base, and subsequently to the completion of said channeling operation beveling the channel base at the side adjacent to the channel flap in the shank portion of the sole and simultaneously forming a stitchreceiving groove in said portion of the channel base.

WILLIAM HENRY HEGGS. JOHN WILLIAM PRATT. 

